Smallpox eradicated (1979), Prince Charles and Princess Diana separate (1992), Canada legalizes gay marriage (2004), US Marines begin Operation Restore Hope in Somalia (1992), child labor banned in Germany (1908), France passes law separating church and state (1905), Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapped (1963), first North American YMCA established in Montreal (1851), A Charlie Brown Christmas airs (1965), John Milton born (1608).
Smallpox eradication has been certified. (1979) This marked the first eradication of any human disease. Before its eradication, smallpox claimed more than 300 million lives in the 20th century alone.
Announced the separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. (1992) The two had been married for nine years and reportedly separated amicably. Diana retained the title of Princess of Wales, as well as her apartment in Kensington Palace.
The Supreme Court of Canada has declared gay marriage legal and constitutional. (2004) Canada became the fourth country in the world to officially legalize gay marriage nationwide with the passage of the Civil Marriage Act in 2005.
Operation Restore Hope begins in Somalia. (1992) US Marines storm Mogadishu – the capital of Somalia – as the start of multinational humanitarian aid effort. Their arrival in Mogadishu has allowed UN aid workers to begin distributing food and other supplies in the famine-ravaged country.
Child labor has been banned in Germany. (1908) The German Reichstag passed a law banning children under 13 from working. The American Fair Labor Standards Act, which contained the first tough child labor laws, was declared constitutional 33 years later.
Law requiring separation of church and state passed in France. (1905) This established the secular state in France and is one of the fundamental issues in the French concept of laïcité, or secularized society.
Frank Sinatra Jr. has been kidnapped. (1963) Nineteen-year-old Sinatra (son of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato) was abducted at gunpoint from his room at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, taken to Los Angeles in the trunk of a car, and finally released two days after his father ha paid a ransom of $19 in US dollars (USD).
The first YMCA in North America is established. (1851) The Montreal, Quebec YMCA was the first “Y” of hundreds to appear in North America. Shortly after the erection of the Montreal Y, the first YMCA in America, the Boston YMCA, was founded on December 29 of that year.
A Charlie Brown Christmas made its television debut. (1965) More than 15 million homes tuned in to watch what has become an American Christmas tradition. The film was the first of nearly 50 Charlie Brown films and network executives thought it would be a huge flop due to its anti-commercial message and lack of canned laughs.
John Milton is born. (1608) Most famous for writing Paradise Lost, Milton was fluent in several languages, including Latin. When he wrote Paradise Lost he was practically blind and had to dictate the poem to the scribes.
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